Our Team

Meet Our Team

Marianna Wetherill, PhD, MPH, RDN/LD, DipACLM

Dr. Wetherill is the George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Population Healthcare and Associate Professor of Health Promotion Sciences at the Hudson College of Public Health and Family and Community Medicine at the OU-TU School of Community Medicine. Dr. Wetherill has additional adjunct appointments in the OUHSC Department of Nutritional Sciences and OU School of Social Work due to the interdisciplinary nature of her research. She is a native Oklahoman who previously worked in the community setting as an administrator, developer, and evaluator for nutrition-related programs for patients living with chronic disease. Her research focuses on building healthy food access for people and communities affected by health disparities. Through her research, she has worked with various types of community partners, including food banks, social service organizations, medical clinics, and tribal communities, to identify feasible and sustainable strategies for improving the nutritional status of underserved populations.

Dr. Wetherill is a Registered and Licensed Dietitian who is board certified in lifestyle medicine by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. She has also completed training on Nutrition-Focused Physical Exams from the American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. With a decade of dietetics practice experience including HIV/AIDS, cardiometabolic disease, and plant-based diets, Dr. Wetherill’s nutrition philosophy incorporates a functional medicine approach to personal healing, with a passion for improving health outcomes among low-income populations and other vulnerable groups. She is a member of the Institute for Functional Medicine, Dietitians in Integrative and Functional Medicine practice group, the American Society for Nutrition, and the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

Chef Valarie P. Carter, MPH, CPH, CHE

An Oklahoma native, Chef Carter earned her MPH at the OU Hudson College of Public Health in Tulsa as well as an A.A. in Culinary Arts from the Art Institute of Atlanta. She also completed the Plant Based Nutrition certificate program from Cornell University and is currently pursuing certification as a Lifestyle Medicine Professional. Chef Carter is the head chef for the Culinary Medicine program at the OU-TU School of Community Medicine, where she co-facilitates culinary medicine classes for medical, physician assistant, and interprofessional student learners. She is regularly featured on the Channel 2 Culinary Medicine segment, sponsored by Shape Your Future.

Formerly, Chef Carter worked as a culinary instructor and consultant for Cooking for Kids, an organization tasked with improving the child nutrition programs in public schools across the state. She is former editor of Edible Tulsa magazine and former columnist and contributor for the Tulsa World and several local magazines. Chef Carter has broad experience working as a personal chef as well as in fine dining in hotels and country clubs. Her skills extend to streamlining food and beverage operations, consulting, food media, and catering. She worked as a special events coordinator in Oklahoma City, planning and organizing events for Bricktown Entertainment and was a culinary arts faculty instructor at OSUIT for 5 years.

Chef Carter served as a member and then Vice President of the Tulsa Farmers’ Market, an organization that supports the local economy by connecting vendors with Oklahoma consumers and supports healthy food access for low-income Tulsa communities. She is a member of Women Chefs and Restauranteurs, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and is a Certified Hospitality Educator through the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute.

Lori J. Whelan, MD, DipABLM

Dr. Whelan is an Associate Professor, the George Kaiser Family Foundation Chair in Emergency Medicine #2 and the Vice Chair of Education for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the OU-TU School of Community Medicine. She is a practicing emergency physician at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa and is a native Oklahoman. She has a B.S. in Zoology from the University of Oklahoma and received her medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

After completing residency in emergency medicine at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, Dr. Whelan completed additional training in physician-performed ultrasound, and has spent the past 10 years teaching this vital skill to medical residents and practicing physicians through continuing medical education courses.

Dr. Whelan’s teaching includes physician-performed ultrasound and lifestyle medicine for medical students. Dr. Whelan has authored over 30 textbook chapters, publications and local and national presentations. She has received 11 teaching awards, including the prestigious Dewayne Andrews Award for Excellence in Teaching from the OU Academy of Teaching Scholars.

Over the course of her career as an emergency medicine physician, Dr. Whelan has grown to recognize the vital need for nutrition as a central component of medical care. For the past 8 years, Dr. Whelan has developed a personal passion for plant-based nutrition and is an advocate for using food as medicine to prevent and manage chronic disease. She is board certified in lifestyle medicine from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine and is committed to incorporating nutrition education into treatment plans for her own patients, as well as developing evidence-based nutrition curriculum for medical and physician assistant students.

Courtney Harmon, MS, Project Coordinator

Courtney Harmon earned her Master’s in Food Science at The Ohio State University and a Bachelor’s in Culinary Nutrition from Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. Courtney is the project coordinator for the Culinary Medicine program at the OU-TU School of Community Medicine. Here she co-facilitates culinary medicine cooking classes for medical and physician assistant students. She also coordinates the student-led garden on the Tulsa campus, The Growing Health Garden.

Previously Courtney has conducted nutrition metabolomics research utilizing NMR evaluating the implementation of a fermented food diet along with probiotics, post antibiotic administration. She assisted in teaching Brown medical students for the Food and Health Program and then at Ohio State for their Alcohol and Society course. She has also worked in large scale and fine dining food establishments as an assistant sous chef in at the Wexner Medical Center and as a line cook at the Piqua Country Club. Courtney also worked as a nutrition advocate for patients with autoimmune diseases at Victress Health and Wellness to help navigate these patients through an anti-inflammatory diet and lifestyle.

Natalie Frech, Graduate Research Assistant

Natalie Frech is a graduate research assistant for the OU Culinary Medicine Program’s Food First Pharmacy, which is designed to provide free fresh fruits and vegetables, shelf-stable foods, and cooking tools for patients as part of their medical treatment plans. In 2018, Natalie graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Health Services Administration. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion Sciences at the University of Oklahoma in Tulsa. Her research interests are health equity, food security, social determinants of health, social-emotional health, and trauma-informed care.

Sarah Beth Bell, Statistician

Sarah Beth Bell is a psychologist who serves as a biostatistician and consultant in the culinary medicine research group. Her areas of expertise include healthy relationships, emotional and physical pain, and social inequality. Before graduate school, she spent five years working as a clinical social worker. The personal stories from the hundreds of food insecure clients she worked with propelled her toward social justice research. Her research primarily focuses on social determinants of health.

Alumni

Lacey Caywood, MPH

While completing her Master of Public Health at OU-Tulsa, Lacey worked as a graduate research assistant for the OU Culinary Medicine program. Her MPH practicum involved leading a collaborative project between Iron Gate Tulsa and OU Culinary Medicine to promote nutrition equity for those affected by homelessness, which was presented nationally at the American Public Health Association 2021 annual conference. She also has a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from the University of Missouri. Lacey presently works as a research coordinator for the NOURISH-OK research study at the University of Oklahoma. Her research interests include food security, nutrition, and social determinants of health.

Nick Hollman, MPH

While completing his Master of Public Health in Biostatistics at OU, Nick worked as a graduate research assistant for the OU Culinary Medicine program conducting analyses for several community-based projects, and also for the NOURISH-OK research study in collaboration with Tulsa CARES. His practicum involved validation of the VeggieMeter® in relation to self-reported fruit and vegetable intake among people living with HIV. Nick received his Bachelor of Science in Nutritional Sciences from Oklahoma State University. He currently works as a biostatistician for the University of Oklahoma. His research interests include nutrition in relation to chronic disease, food insecurity, and social determinants of health.

Joshua Gentges, DO, MPH

Joshua Gentges is the research director for the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma School of Community Medicine. While completing his Master of Public Health at OU-Tulsa, Dr. Gentges designed and implemented a social media strategy for the OU Culinary Medicine team for his practicum. He continues to work with the Lifestyle Medicine group by lecturing, writing, and supporting Lifestyle Medicine interventions within the School of Community Medicine. Dr. Gentges is a food enthusiast and cook who says the most fun he’s had in a long time has been helping Chef Carter cook. His research interests include medical education, Emergency Department efficiency and quality, and improving the health of vulnerable populations.

Elizabeth Nitz, MD, MPH

Dr. Nitz is a medical school graduate from the OU-TU School of Community Medicine who is specializing in anesthesiology. While completing her Master of Public Health in Epidemiology at OU, Dr. Nitz worked as a graduate research assistant in collaboration with the OU Culinary Medicine team to analyze outcomes from the Produce Drop Study. Dr. Nitz received her Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of Oklahoma. Her research interests are food insecurity, social determinants of health, and chronic disease, which she hopes to continue into her residency. In her free time, she enjoys running, cooking, and spending time with family.

Reagan Collins, MOT, OTR/L, Schweitzer Fellow 2020-2021

While completing her Master of Occupational Therapy at OU-Tulsa, Reagan worked as a Schweitzer Fellow in collaboration with the OU Culinary Medicine team and the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges. Her fellowship involved developing an original culinary medicine curriculum, Veggies for Life, for individuals living with physical challenges to reduce nutrition disparities in this population. Her project was presented twice nationally and published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. Reagan previously received her Bachelor of Arts in Human Relations from the University of Oklahoma in Norman. She continued her research journey in mental illness within a transitional housing community in Tulsa as well as overseas to improve the durability and accessibility of wheelchairs for those living in Kenya. Following her research in Kenya, she helped to develop a non-profit organization called Wings Aloft where she is continuing to serve those in underserved areas living with disabilities. Reagan presently works as an occupational therapist in an outpatient pediatric clinic in Broken Arrow.

Hartley Bowman, PT, DPT Schweitzer Fellow, 2020-2021

While completing her Doctor of Physical Therapy at OU-Tulsa, Dr. Bowman worked as a Schweitzer Fellow in collaboration with the OU Culinary Medicine team and the Center for Individuals with Physical Challenges. Her fellowship involved developing an original culinary medicine curriculum, Veggies for Life, for individuals living with physical challenges to reduce nutrition disparities in this population. Her project was presented twice nationally and published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. Hartley received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Oklahoma Christian University. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, being active, reading, playing games, and spending time with friends and family. She presently works as a physical therapist in the Tulsa area specializing in pelvic floor rehabilitation.

Samantha Murphy, BS

While completing her Master of Public Health in Biostatistics at OU, Samantha worked as a graduate research assistant for the Produce Drop study, a research project of OU Culinary Medicine. This randomized control trial provided eligible patients with a weekly assortment of fresh, locally-grown produce for nine months to study the benefits of healthy food assistance on health outcomes. Samantha previously completed a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Mathematics from the University at Albany (SUNY). Her research interests include chronic disease, social/structural determinants of health, and survival analysis.

Molly Martin, MD, MPH

Dr. Martin is a medical school graduate of the OU-TU School of Community Medicine who is now specializing in family medicine. While completing her Master of Public Health at OU-Tulsa, Molly led participant enrollment and data collection efforts for the Produce Drop study, a research project of OU Culinary Medicine. This randomized control trial provided eligible patients with a weekly assortment of fresh, locally-grown produce for nine months to study the benefits of healthy food assistance on health outcomes. Molly grew up in rural Oklahoma and has signed a contract to return to this setting to work as a family physician after her medical training. She is excited to develop a modified culinary and lifestyle medicine program for her community and to address food insecurity in her hometown.

John Carradini, MD, MPH

Dr. Carradini is a medical school graduate of the OU-TU School of Community Medicine who is now specializing in internal medicine. While completing his Master of Public Health at OU-Tulsa, Dr. Carradini evaluated the impact of culinary medicine expansion efforts within OU residency programs and first-authored or co-authored multiple lifestyle medicine-related publications in the Journal of the Oklahoma State Medical Association. Dr. Carradini completed his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Arkansas. He is pleased to stay at his home school, OU-Tulsa, for training in Internal Medicine. He plans to pursue academic medicine after completing his training. In his free time, he attempts to correct his slice, bakes bread, and enjoys learning about new breweries with his wife, Caylan, and his two dogs, Dolly and Winn-Dixie.

Victoria Thomas, MD, MPH

Dr. Thomas is a resident in anatomic and clinical pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA and a clinical fellow at Harvard Medical School. While completing her Master of Public Health at OU as a dually-enrolled medical student, Dr. Thomas worked as a graduate research assistant as part of the OU Culinary Medicine team. Dr. Thomas worked to develop, implement, and evaluate a healthy nutrition and cooking skills curriculum for medical residents as part of Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Communities Phase II. Her practicum focused on nutrition education curricula for pediatric medical residents and school aged children that focused on increased fruit and vegetable consumption. Victoria also has a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Oklahoma State University, which she obtained in 2015, and she completed her MD from the OU-TU School of Community Medicine in 2020.

Gracen Davis, MD, MPH

Dr. Davis is a medical school graduate of the OU-TU School of Community Medicine who specializes as a pediatrics. While completing her Master of Public Health at OU-Tulsa as a dually-enrolled medical student, she provided instrumental support during the initial launch of the culinary medicine program. She also developed original content for a new Lifestyle Medicine course for physician assistant program, which was published in Medical Science Educator. During her residency, Dr. Davis continued teaching lifestyle medicine to families and fellow clinicians including lectures to fellow residents on developmentally appropriate nutrition guidance and delivered grand rounds on culturally-tailored interventions for healthy weight. She currently practices as a pediatric hospitalist in North Carolina.